


your eyes in the dark (make my heart feel at home)

by coykoi



Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, I saw the pictures and ran to my docs like a fool, Spideychelle, fos squad trying their best, peter is in hiding with his friends as he deserves, this could be considered angst but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coykoi/pseuds/coykoi
Summary: “N—Ned? MJ?”“Peter? Oh, my god—”“This place looks like shit,” Michelle whispers, that being the first thing that came to the top of her head because she can’t stand the look on Peter’s face—the look that makes her heart feel the same as it had on the bridge, only ten times heavier.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 40
Kudos: 103





	your eyes in the dark (make my heart feel at home)

**Author's Note:**

> i am entirely a fool who dropped everything to write this. oh well

“Tuck your hair in, MJ, tuck your hair in,” May repeats like a mantra, cold, shaky hands smoothing her curls under the beanie on her head. “Listen. Listen, okay, I know you guys are going to be careful. I know that you’re going to be smart. But please, please—”

“I promise. I will, I promise,” Michelle whispers, giving her hand a tight squeeze before wrapping her arms around May, eyes stinging. It hasn’t even been more than a few days. “I promise. It’s going to be...we’ll figure this out, May.”

“I know we will.” May gives her a sad, weary smile, the stress taking a toll. She runs a hand through her frizzy hair, exhaling a slow breath, and nods. “I’ll see you all in a few weeks. Hopefully by that point...”

“He’ll have a lawyer by then.”

“Fingers crossed they can work their magic.”

“Thanks for letting me borrow your coat,” Michelle adds quickly, though she sees Happy’s car parked by the road, Ned’s head through one of the windows. They’re waiting for her, and she should go, but she had to express her gratitude for the old clothes of May’s from when she was younger. Maybe they were even considered stylish once. 

After bidding one last goodbye, she quickly exits the apartment with her head down, passing by the newly stationed security guard in the hallway, the lobby. There are probably even some hovering on the roof. She slips into the car, Ned moving over to make her room, and she finds him wearing a letterman jacket—remembers that he talked once about how his dad was on the football team during high school. The pins are a nice touch. 

“Are you...as nervous about this as I am?” Ned asks her, fidgeting in his seat while she peers out the window as Happy rolls away from the curb. “I mean, you know how my Lola freaked out about the idea and then May, and I just…”

“I know.” Michelle gnaws on the tips of her nails, feeling an anxious sensation in her stomach at the prospect of being hidden away for weeks at a time. She knows it’s for their safety—she just wishes it would be guaranteed permanently as their light at the end of the tunnel. “I am, too.”

Happy keeps casting them empathetic looks through the rearview mirror, ones that Michelle tries to ignore because they only solidify the idea that this is really just as bad as it seems. Maybe she’s been in denial for as long as he’s been without them, three days now.

The car veers off onto an unmarked road after they’ve been driving for a while, and she squishes in closer to Ned to look out his window, squinting to see any signs of life. They’ve really found the most remote place to stash them, and it makes her feel as secure as it does paranoid.

How many times must something like this have gone wrong if they’ve got abandoned houses as contingency plans? 

“We’re almost there, kids,” he says, occasionally glancing at his watch. “I do have to hurry and get back to May right after this.”

“To talk about getting a lawyer?” Ned asks.

“Something like that.” Happy’s gaze shifts away before looking back at the road, which they eventually drop off of and park in the middle of the woods, surrounded by trees with leaves luscious enough to hide a whole home. 

Ned gets out of the car and Michelle follows suit, the two of them walking with their bags to the driver’s window. Happy reminds them to be careful, to not let anyone in, and to keep themselves safe above everything.

“We will. Thank you,” Michelle says quietly, trying for a smile that’s feeble and shaky at best.

“See you in a few weeks, kids. We’ll keep in touch,” he responds, and there’s a hesitance to his leaving before he backs the car onto the road once more.

Michelle turns around and finds Ned is already racing towards the house, so she follows quickly behind, her bag hitting her back heavily with its contents. The place they’ve been brought to doesn’t exactly look like it’s in the greatest condition. In fact, it looks like a gust of wind could blow it over.

“This is the safe house?” she asks skeptically, and Ned furrows his brows. But before either of them can speak again, the sound of doors being slammed open fill the air, and she hears his voice.

“N—Ned? MJ?”

“Peter?” Ned says in a frantic, hushed tone despite no one else being around. They race alongside the house until coming up to the storm cellar, doors open, sunlight shining in on his face as he stares back at them. “Oh, my god—”

“This place looks like shit,” Michelle whispers, that being the first thing that came to the top of her head because she can’t stand the look on Peter’s face—the look that makes her heart feel the same as it had on the bridge, only ten times heavier. “Sorry, I, um—”

“I know it’s not...it’s definitely not the prettiest thing.” He steps aside as they come down the steps, and Michelle inhales sharply at the expanse of the cellar. It’s bigger than it looks on the outside while also being extremely dark.

Ned and Peter engage in their handshake while Michelle drops her bag to the ground and looks around, seeing his things lying all over the place. Well, the things that have been delivered to him since he hasn’t been able to go home.

“MJ?”

Michelle turns around again to see Peter standing there, wringing his hands together, eyes falling on the necklace still sitting above her heart. He meets her gaze, a flicker of a smile and something else there.

“How have you been doing down here?” she asks softly, stepping closer so that she can see his face a little clearer. His eyes are glazed as he clears his throat, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s been…” Peter swallows, blinking rapidly, and shakes his head. “Sorry. I’m just really glad that you guys are here now.”

“We’re glad to be here with you, too. I, uh, brought the Lego Death Star,” Ned speaks up, tentative, and they all crack smiles. “In case we get...bored? Swear I won’t drop it this time.”

“That—that’s great. I—yeah, for sure, we could build it again,” he responds with a watery laugh, and Michelle frowns at the sound, exchanging a look with Ned. It doesn’t take more than a second for the two of them to surround Peter, opening their arms, and he falls into them easily, shoulders heaving. “I’m so sorry, guys, I didn’t—I shouldn’t have…”

“No, no, dude, don’t apologize for anything. It was all Beck. We’ll fix this, okay? Somehow,” Ned says with a strength to his tone that Michelle appreciates because she isn’t sure she could muster that right now.

“We would never leave you to deal with this on your own either,” she adds quietly, pulling back to see his face illuminated by the one lightbulb above them. He merely nods, wiping his cheeks with the back of his hands. She wants to change the subject—they need to talk about something else. “Did you...did you really put on a dress shirt for us?”

“Oh.” Peter looks down at himself and laughs a little, wetting his lips. “Yeah, I thought if there was any time to wear my nice clothes, it would be today...for you guys. I’m sorry that it’s wrinkled.”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff, bro. We’re honored to see your nice clothes once in a blue moon.” Ned gives him a small smirk and a reassuring shoulder slap before heading over to his own bag.

“Hey.”

Michelle realizes after an embarrassingly long moment that Peter’s talking to her, and she looks back at him with a small smile, cheeks warm and adrenaline still racing. “Hi.”

“Could I…?” Peter gestures to the beanie that’s on her head, and she swallows, unsure about what he’s referring to but nods anyway. He takes a step forward, gently pulling it off and leaving her curls in a disarray. One of his warm hands comes up to smooth them down, palm flat against her hair. “I just...wanted to see you. Without the hat.”

“Oh. Okay,” she manages to say, pressing her lips together, feeling insanely flustered. “Did you know that at least fifteen percent of people back in the twentieth century were crushed to death by their storm cellars because they weren’t built correctly?”

Peter laughs, expression lighting up incredulously, and Michelle snorts a little, just a bit pleased. He takes her hand, interlocking their fingers, and they go over to where Ned’s setting up the laptop. 

It’s going to be a long night.  
  


* * *

  
“He fell asleep.”

“Well, I don’t blame him. We’ve been staring at this screen all night,” Michelle replies quietly, rubbing her eyes as if that’ll wipe away the exhaustion. “Are you going to get some rest?”

“I don’t know if I can. I just can’t stop...thinking,” Peter admits, standing up a bit to stretch his muscles. She glances back at the screen before sighing, doing the same. There are three beds in the room, if you could even consider them that, but she might be tired enough to fall asleep in one. “But if you want to sleep, please, by all means.”

“No, that’s alright, I’ll…” Michelle trails off, yawning, and Peter gives her a significant look. She ignores it, lowering her voice to a whisper. “I’m good.”

“MJ,” he tries, but she shakes her head.

“I said I’m fine.” And she doesn’t snap, but her voice is firm enough for Peter to drop it, conceding with his lips pressed in a thin line. “Don’t want to wake Ned.”

The two of them fall silent, Michelle eventually closing the laptop altogether and pushing it off to the side of the table. She finds her gaze traveling back to Peter, the way he’s staring at his lap with a set frown on his face, and she wants to ask him so many things. But in the end, she doesn’t have to.

“I’m just really...I’m scared, MJ. What if this doesn’t end? What if they can’t clear my name?” he eventually croaks out, and she shakes her head, for once not feeling like the pessimist.

“They will because you’re innocent. And even if there are a few bumps along the way, we’ll get there eventually because none of us are just going to let that go. It’s going to be okay,” she says softly, hoping to god that she’s not lying to him right now. He meets her eyes, barely visible without the light of the screen shining on them, but the emotion is still there.

“If I were you right now, I would’ve...I would’ve run and gotten out while I still had the chance. I didn’t mean to bring you into this…”

Michelle swallows, reaching blindly for his hand. “Well, it’s a good thing you’re not me because that is a pretty cowardly thing to do to someone you care about. I’m here, Peter. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Thank you,” he whispers after a moment, squeezing her palm. 

And maybe they get some rest after all, just like that with their hands woven together, to the sound of Ned’s snoring. It makes for a rather dreamless night’s sleep, which is in better preparation for what they’re left with to wake up to in the morning.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m on tumblr @coykoii!


End file.
